Mike Tannenbaum says Tebow will be successful QB or 'die trying'

Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum appeared on NFL Network this morning, Conor Orr of the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The topics were relatively the same -- a mea culpa for the Mark Sanchez contract, on why he took the fall for a talent-challenged roster, and his relationship with Rex Ryan -- although he was a little more expansive on his thoughts about Tim Tebow.

Universally, the deal to bring him in has been perceived as a failure. Tannenbaum, though, still thinks there's a chance Tebow can be an NFL quarterback, a goal he'll pursue relentlessly or "die trying," as Tannenbaum put it.

"This is a guy who was successful in high school, won championships in college, and he's the type of person who's either going to be successful as a pro quarterback or die trying," Tannenbaum said. "He's highly competitive. Obviously there's some skills he has to work on. He has to be a more consistent thrower from the pocket, we all know that; the accuracy. But with that, there are things he does bring to the table."